Liu Nanfeng did not share his suspicions with Zhu Yin’e.
There was no need, nor was it necessary. Telling her might only add some minor trouble for him.
However, he still spoke, "The mud monster in Little Carp's hand, though it appears to be just a plaything, has an extraordinary origin and wide-ranging applications. You should supervise her in its development and utilization."
"Extraordinary?" Zhu Yin’e showed a hint of confusion.
The mud monster was called such because it was as soft and limp as mud, appearing to have little use.
Furthermore, Little Carp often liked to transform it into small animals like snakes and frogs to play with her, which made it seem even less practical.
"Of course it's not simple. It's precisely because it's like mud that it possesses greater malleability," Liu Nanfeng said with a smile.
Zhu Yin’e also began to understand.
If it could be used as a weapon, wouldn't that mean Little Carp possessed a divine weapon capable of countless transformations?
Thinking of this, Zhu Yin’e couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
She then called out loudly to Little Carp, who was playing with Gugu in the courtyard.
"Little Fish, come here for a moment."
"Okay."
Little Carp agreed readily, but her body didn't budge. With her bottom sticking out, she squatted with Gugu, her head bowed, seemingly engrossed in something.
"Little Fish..." Zhu Yin’e called again.
"Coming."
Little Carp responded immediately, but her body still didn't move.
Zhu Yin’e looked helplessly at Liu Nanfeng beside her, seeing him stifling a laugh.
Zhu Yin’e shot him a look of playful reproach.
"It’s your fault. She was usually so obedient."
"Uh..." What did she mean by that? How could it be his fault?
Zhu Yin’e stood up, annoyance in her steps, and walked towards the door. She wanted to see what Little Carp was doing.
Liu Nanfeng quickly followed and advised, "Don't be angry. It's a good thing that children get captivated by certain things. Don't disturb her; there's no hurry. We can talk later. If you force her to come, breaking her concentration, she might develop bad habits of being easily distracted in the future."
Zhu Yin’e stopped when she heard this, and said with a half-smile, "You care about her so much?"
"Little Carp is so adorable, who wouldn't like her? Who wouldn't care about her?" Liu Nanfeng quickly replied.
Zhu Yin’e cast a charming, sidelong glance at Liu Nanfeng.
Then, she quietly walked closer, slipped her foot under Little Carp's bottom, and gently lifted upwards.
Off-balance, Little Carp, with her rear end sticking out, immediately bumped her head on the ground.
"Ouch..."
Little Carp exclaimed, then turned to see Zhu Yin’e. She immediately scrambled up, planted her hands on her hips, and indignantly questioned, "Mom, why are you bullying me?"
"No, I'm just calling you."
"Calling me? Is that how you call someone?"
Little Carp stomped her feet, furrowed her brows, looking like a curious busybody.
Seeing her adorable appearance, Liu Nanfeng couldn't help but chuckle beside them.
→_→
Little Carp immediately turned to look at him, her little face filled with anger.
As if to say, I'm angry, and you're laughing.
"It's because I called you several times, and you didn't move at all, so I had to do this," Zhu Yin’e said, placing her hand on Little Carp's head and turning her face towards her.
"Uh..."
Hearing Zhu Yin’e’s words, Little Carp scratched her cheek, appearing a little flustered.
"What are you playing that's so engrossing? Let Mom see."
Zhu Yin’e looked at the ground and was startled, taking a step back and bumping into Liu Nanfeng behind her. She felt a wave of heat through her back and her cheeks flushed. She quickly moved forward slightly.
Liu Nanfeng also took a step back, feeling a bit awkward.
Zhu Yin’e had been startled because a large black rat was looking up at her from the ground.
She, the dignified Dragon Lord of the Yangtze, was actually afraid of a tiny mouse.
Seeing Zhu Yin’e’s fearful expression, Liu Nanfeng wanted to laugh but managed to hold it back, to give the Dragon Lord some face.
The main reason, of course, was the fear of provoking Zhu Yin’e, which would mean he wouldn't be able to leave the water mansion today.
"Where is this..."
As soon as Zhu Yin’e spoke, she suddenly realized that this was a transformation by the mud monster, as there were no rats in the Yangtze water mansion.
She looked at the rat on the ground with some surprise. The rat was plump, its eyes bright and lifelike.
She had seen Little Carp transform into other animals before, but she had basically just glanced at them without paying much attention. Moreover, those transformations were far from as lifelike and realistic as the one before her. Had Little Carp evolved?
At that moment, Little Carp beckoned to the ground. The rat instantly "melted" and transformed into a large black butterfly, which fluttered its wings and flew into the air, finally landing on Little Carp's head.
However, this butterfly was not as lifelike as the rat. Its wings flapped with a slight stiffness, resembling the butterfly kite Liu Nanfeng had bought for her before.
Zhu Yin’e frowned and asked, "Why does your butterfly feel less well-transformed than the rat just now?"
"And where did you see a rat?" she added.
"In sister's picture book," Little Carp replied without hesitation.
Hearing this, Zhu Yin’e immediately glanced sideways at Liu Nanfeng.
Liu Nanfeng kept his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, feigning ignorance.
"Then why was the rat so lifelike, but the butterfly so stiff? Is it because there were no butterflies in the book?"
Little Carp shook her head and then said, "Because Mom is afraid of rats, I looked very carefully at what it looked like. Heh heh heh..."
Truly a filial daughter.
"You looked at it carefully and then came back to scare Mom?"
"Did I?"
Although Little Carp said so, her eyes darted around, indicating that she indeed thought that way.
Gugu, standing beside them, watched Zhu Yin’e without speaking. She thought to herself, Little Carp's mother is so beautiful.
Would Little Carp be as beautiful as her mother when she grew up?
However, the thought of Little Carp growing up like this gave her a sense of incongruity.
For a moment, her thoughts wandered, making her appear somewhat dazed and vacant.
Zhu Yin’e did not dwell on this issue and continued to press, "Can you transform into anything else?"
"Of course?"
Seeing that her mother was not pursuing the matter, Little Carp became proud again.
"Then change into a guagua hammer for me to see," Zhu Yin’e said.
This was too simple for Little Carp. She had grown up with the guagua hammer and knew every detail of its texture.
Therefore, as soon as Zhu Yin’e finished speaking, the butterfly hovering above her head transformed into a guagua hammer and fell down. Little Carp caught it with her hand.
"Let me see."
Zhu Yin’e took the guagua hammer directly from her hand, examined it carefully, and then gently tossed it in her palm, her expression filled with surprise.
If it hadn't transformed before her eyes, given her familiarity with the guagua hammer, she wouldn't have been able to distinguish it from the real thing.
She thought for a moment, then threw the guagua hammer in her hand towards a rockery in the courtyard.
With a loud crash, a flash of golden light ensued, and the once-tall rockery turned into scattered debris.
Gugu, who had been staring blankly, was startled and hugged Liu Nanfeng's leg.
Liu Nanfeng put his arm around her shoulder and gently patted her to comfort her.
Zhu Yin’e beckoned, and the guagua hammer flew back into her hand. She examined it again, finding not a single trace of damage.
She finally confirmed the extraordinary nature of the mud monster. This thing not only changed its appearance but also its mass and volume.
As she handed the hammer back, she asked, "Can you create another you?"
Liu Nanfeng had also considered this question earlier, so he looked at Little Carp with curiosity upon hearing this.